The Lanesboro City Council revisited the matter of the Zenith Street paving proposal at their December 4 meeting. Council member Jason Resseman was Mayor pro tem in Mayor Autumn Johnson’s absence. Mayor Johnson participated in the meeting via remote access.
Currently, a portion of Zenith Street is unpaved and is a gravel road. The residents had hopes that it would be paved during the Auburn/Zenith project. At last month’s meeting, the council heard appeals from several of the residents asking them to reconsider their decision not to pave the gravel road. Lanesboro resident Phil Dybing acquired estimates for the project and presented them to the council at that time. The council had also received quotes from city engineer Brian Malm which were higher than Dybing’s.
Dybing felt that now would be the best time to pave the gravel section of Zenith, as the Auburn/Zenith project is now underway and contractors are available. He also added that he believes the lack of utility services in that area has inhibited its growth.
“I would submit that the decision makers shouldn’t take either scenario as gospel truth,” Lanesboro resident Andy Webb stated at the December meeting. He felt that Dybing gave a best case scenario, and Malm gave the worst case.
“There are four questions the decisions makers have to consider,” Webb continued. “Would the proposed project significantly enhance Lanesboro’s infrastructure? Would the project significantly enhance the residents’ way of life, who after all are Lanesboro citizens and pay taxes at the same rate as other Lanesboro residents who live on paved roads? Would it not make economic sense to strike while the iron is hot? If you answered affirmatively to questions one to three, can we afford it?”
Malm agreed that now would be the most cost-effective time to do the project. “You will have to spend money on maintenance over the life of the road to maximize the life cycle of the road,” he pointed out.
Council members Tom Smith and Bridget Harvey felt that the matter deserved some further thought before making a final decision. The others agreed with them. A motion was made and passed to table it until January to give the council time to gather information. Malm suggested that the homeowners on the gravel stretch of Zenith Street begin a petition to help the process get started.
The Truth in Taxation meeting was opened at 6 p.m. The council met earlier in the day for a budget workshop in preparation. “We worked hard cutting this budget,” Councilmember Smith noted.
Dybing asked the council to re-evaluate the decision they made in May of 2016 to decline his petition to detach from the city of Lanesboro. He lives on the gravel portion of Zenith and does not have access to utility service. “I want to remind the city that they made that commitment (to re-evaluate),” he said.
City Administrator Michele Peterson noted that the discussion on that matter is still in the works.
There were no other questions or comments from the public and the Truth in Taxation meeting was closed.
The council approved pay request #2 for the Park Road project. All of the work has been completed except for the last layer on the road and punch card items which will be finished in the spring.
The Park Board suggested that the council approve a $35 yearly parking fee for a permit to park in the ballfield parking area, with the thought that doing so would regulate who is able to park there and allow local business owners such as the outfitters to have adequate access to parking. The fee would cover maintenance of the area. “I don’t like the idea of charging them to park down there,” Councilmember Resseman stated. The permit parking was tabled for the time being.
Resolution 2017-43 certifying the final 2018 tax levy to the county auditor was passed. The 2018 Lanesboro Public Utilities budget was passed as well.
The utility fees for 2018 were reviewed and approved by the council, with Councilmember Smith voting against the fees. “There was a 7% increase last year and 7% again this year,” he stated. “I feel it’s too high.”
The meeting was closed to the public to discuss payment options for the Auburn/Zenith project contractor.
The next meeting will be held on January 2 at 5:30 p.m.
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